Unexpected Surprises
by alex-1310
Summary: When two kids show up at ranger headquarters claiming to be Sydneys, what will happen?
1. Default Chapter

Unexpected Surprises  
  
Sydney and Gage had just gotten back to the station after arresting a man of attempted murder on a district attorney.

" You know Syd I don't mind helping you baby-sit Angela tonight if you need an extra hand."  
  
"Gage I am not incapable of taking care of a one year old by myself. It's not like I have never babysat her before," replied Syd  
  
"I didn't say you weren't" Gage replied "but..."  
  
"But nothing Gage, that's what the way it sounded" snapped Sydney  
  
"Fine I just thought we could watch a movie together or something, but if you can handle it"  
  
"I can" she replied quickly  
  
"Syd can I ask you a question" Gage asked as nicely as he could, trying not to upset her anymore than she already appeared to be.  
  
"Depends on what the question is" replied Syd with a sly smile at Gage.  
  
"I just want to know if there is something going on with you that I should know about," he asked  
  
Sydney's smile faded and she replied, "No, does it seem like there should be"  
  
"Well you seemed kind of tense these past few days and"  
  
Just then a little boy came running through the door with a little girl not far behind. They boy went straight to Sydney "Mommy they are going to kill us!"


	2. ch 2

Unexpected Surprises-ch.2

The boy was looking directly at Sydney and the little girl was holding on to the boy's shirt.  
  
Syd kind of laughed at them and calmly asked them what their names were, but the boy just

repeated "Mom you know who we are and they are going to kill us," his voice shaking terribly.  
  
"Okay why don't you two come with me over to this room and we will talk" said Sydney

The kids nodded their heads and immediately the little boy took Syds hand and the girl took the

boys hand. As they walked away Gage had a funny feeling about them. Those kids couldn't be

hers could they, he thought to himself.

The little boy looked like he was about nine maybe ten years old and the little girl not more than

eight. As he thought to himself he thought about how much the two kids looked like Syd. They

both had dark complected skin. The little boy was like a "mini" version of Sydney, with the

same rounded face, and his dark brown hair was down to his shoulders in the back and then

shorter as it got to the front, and as for his eyes, they looked like the same brown eyes of

Sydney. As for the little girl she was the spitting image of Sydney, except for her dark curly hair

and her bright blue eyes, which set her apart from Syd and the little boy.

Gage then came back to reality and shook the feeling of those kids being Sydney's. No there is

no way they are hers, she would have told me if she had kids.


	3. ch 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Chuck Norris productions, though of course I wish I did so I could finally get Sydney and Gage together!!! hint hint!!  
  
**Unexpected Surprises**-ch. 3  
  
Gage sat as patiently as he could at his desk waiting for Sydney to come out of the private office with the kids. As he waited Walker, Trivette, and Alex all entered the room.  
  
"Hey Gage, everything all right buddy?" asked Trivette  
  
"Yeah, sure, why?" Gage answered  
  
"Well kiddo looks like you have got something real serious on your mind" Walker replied  
  
"Yeah, trying to figure out the perfect way to ask Sydney on a date" laughed Alex  
  
"No, why would I do that, she's just my partner" Gage replied quickly trying not to reveal his true feelings. Even though everyone already had their suspicions about how the two young rangers felt about each other.  
  
"Yeah, alright buddy, whatever you say," Trivette said trying not to laugh.  
  
"Speaking of Sydney, where is she" Walker asked  
  
"Oh, um, she is in the office talking to a couple of kids that came in here looking for someone" Gage replied as calmly as he could.  
  
Just then Sydney came out of the office, the little boy still holding tight to Sydney's hand, and the little girl clinging tightly to the boys shirt. When Walker, Trivette, and Alex saw the children with Sydney all three of their jaws dropped at the sight that they were looking at.  
  
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A/N: Sorry these first few chapters are short but it takes me awhile to get going and figure out what I want to write, but starting with chapter 4 they will definitely be getting a lot longer. 


	4. ch 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Chuck Norris productions....  
  
**Unexpected Surprises**-ch.4  
  
As soon as Sydney saw the reactions of her friends she tried not to notice why they were looking at her like that.  
  
"What, do I have something on me? Why are ya'll looking at me like that?" she asked  
  
Gage noticed them also and when he looked at the children there with Sydney, he saw again how much they resembled her but didn't want to jump to any conclusions.  
  
"Yeah guys, what's wrong, never seen Sydney with a couple of kids before." Gage quickly jumped in.  
  
"No, it's not that," answered Trivette "It's just"  
  
"They look familiar" Alex said finishing Jimmy's sentence.  
  
"Yeah, a little too familiar" Walker added  
  
"Well it's not what you think" Sydney replied, "This is Seth and this is Sara. My nephew and niece."  
  
'I knew it, Gage thought to himself.' But the only thing that came out of everyone's mouth was "O."  
  
"Syd I thought you were an only child," Gage asked  
  
"No I have a sister who is two years older than me. I just never talk about her because she has gotten herself into a lot of trouble." answered Sydney "She got into the wrong crowd of people when she met her husband. She found out he was smuggling drugs across the border and he told her if she told anyone about it he would kill her and the kids."  
  
"Wow, how long have they been married?" Trivette asked  
  
"About three years, the kids are from a previous marriage," answered Sydney. She looked down at the two kids and smiled. "Hey guys these are my friends and the people I work with. This is Walker and his wife Alex, this is Jimmy, and this here is my partner Gage. So you don't have to be scared of them, they are just here to help." She told them, but the two kids just cowered behind Sydney. "Why don't you two go over to my desk and draw some pictures while I talk to my friends" Syd told them. Both children nodded their heads and went over to her desk to draw.  
  
"Sorry about that. They are kind of shy until they get to know you. But once they get to know you they will talk your ears off, or at least Seth will." Sydney said  
  
"Why not Sara?" Alex asked  
  
"She doesn't talk to anyone except Seth," answered Syd  
  
"Why is something wrong with her" Jimmy asked  
  
"No she just doesn't trust people. Most of the people in her life have lied to her or scared her so much that she doesn't trust anyone anymore except for her brother. He is the only one who has really taken care of her and she trusts him." Sydney answered with a hurt tone in her voice.  
  
"So she doesn't talk to you or her mother either?" asked Alex  
  
"I haven't really been around her enough for her to remember me, especially since her mother got married a few years ago. And she doesn't talk to her mom because she thinks her mom hates her for some reason, at least that is what Seth has told me." Sydney replied this time looking over at the little girl with a sad look that she tried to hide from her friends.  
  
"How long have they been with you?" Walker asked  
  
"Just a couple of weeks. They just appeared on the doorstep of my apartment building one night when I got home from work. Seth told me that their mom dropped them off at a social workers office and that they had been in foster care for about 6 months until they found me," answered Sydney  
  
"So how exactly did they get to you?" Gage asked  
  
"Seth told me that when they finally found my name in the phone book that they ran away from their foster family. But don't worry I already spoke to the social worker and proved that I was their aunt, so for now I have custody of them." Syd replied  
  
"Well they seem like sweet kids" Alex said  
  
"Yeah, they are most of the time, until they get to know you, and then they turn into your normal kids" Sydney replied, now with a smile on her face.  
  
"So how old are they" Alex asked  
  
"Seth is eleven and Sara is eight," replied Syd  
  
"Really, I thought Seth was nine, ten maybe" replied Alex  
  
"Yeah, he is little for his age, but most of our family is short, and unfortunately for him he got the short gene." Sydney answered "but don't call him short because he gets really ticked off." Sydney replied while looking straight at Gage with a look meaning not to crack any jokes to the boy like he does to Syd. At this remark and the look that Syd gave him, Gage couldn't help but smile, thinking of all the times he had called Syd by the nickname "Shorty" that he had given her about two years ago, and all the punches and bruises he had received from her because of it.  
  
"Well do you need our help finding your sister" Walker asked  
  
"No that's alright. I wouldn't know where to look for her it's been so long. But I know she will show up when she is ready." Sydney answered  
  
"Are you sure because we can help" Trivette added  
  
"No everything is fine. We will be alright, because like I was saying my sister is not very responsible, but she will show up eventually." Sydney said trying to get the conversation to end.  
  
"Walker do you mind if I take off a little early today to take Seth and Sara home?" Sydney asked  
  
"Of course go ahead" Walker replied  
  
As Sydney was walking to her desk Gage grabbed her arm to stop her.  
  
"What Gage" she asked impatiently  
  
"If that was all of the story then why did those kids come in here calling you mom and saying someone was going to kill them" Gage asked  
  
"Because sometimes they are afraid that someone is going to kill them Gage, they have been through a lot." Sydney answered, the tone in her voice telling Gage to back off.  
  
"Fine, but if there is something else you want to tell me, or something more to the story please let me know. I'm your partner Syd, and I don't want anything to happen to you, or to them." Gage persisted trying to get her to tell him more of the story.  
  
"I know Gage and if I need anything I will let you know" Syd replied. Then looking at Alex, said "Hey Alex I will pick up Angela from the HOPE Center at 6 o'clock so you and Walker can go out."  
  
"Okay thanks again Syd" Alex answered  
  
Before Sydney got to her desk Gage called out "Hey Syd, one last question. What was your sisters name?"  
  
"Marie" she answered, "is that it now Gage, do I have your permission to leave"  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow" he said to her  
  
Sydney reached her desk and took the boy by the hand, but Gage noticed that when Sydney tried to take the little girls hand she pulled away and went to her brother who took her hand. As they went through the door Gage saw the little boy pull Sydney down to his level and say something to her, and he could have sworn the first word he said was mom. 'No that's crazy' Gage thought to himself. Syd just said they were her nephew and niece. But why would he still be calling her mom when no one can hear him.  
  
"Wow that was interesting" Trivette said breaking the silence and Gage's train of thought.  
  
"Yeah for those kids being her nephew and niece they sure look a lot like her" Walker replied  
  
"Well you know people say its possible to have kids that look like your brother or sister." Gage replied trying to get the others to stop talking about that.  
  
"Yeah Gage is right, besides Sydney wouldn't lie to us" Alex said  
  
The others nodded and went back to work. But Gage, still not sure about the whole thing told himself he would stop by Syd's after work and see if he could get the rest of the story out of her. And if he couldn't he would resort to looking up her file to see what he could find out about her sister.  
  
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A/N: It will probably be about a week before I get the next chapter up because I will be out of town, but I will get it up ASAP. 


	5. ch 5

**Unexpected Surprises**-ch. 5  
  
It was now 6:30 and Sydney had just gotten home from picking up Angela from the Hope Center and was about to start dinner when there was a knock on the door.  
  
'I wonder who that could be' Sydney thought to herself. As she looked through the peephole she saw Gage standing there looking very impatient. She opened the door and asked as politely as she could "May I help you with something or did you get lost on your way home?"  
  
"Funny, I just thought that since you are taking care of three kids instead of just one you could use some company." Gage replied, while at the same time squeezing by Syd to enter the apartment.  
  
"Thanks but I think I can handle it," Syd answered while closing and locking the door behind her.  
  
"No really I don't mind and I don't have anything else to do. Please." Gage asked, his blue eyes looking as sad as he could make them.  
  
"Gage that's not fair you know I can't say no when you make that face," laughed Syd.  
  
Gage smiled back and said, "I know that's why I did it."  
  
"Fine you can stay but only if you help with dinner." Sydney said.  
  
"That's a deal," Gage said while shaking Syd's hand to seal the deal.  
  
As they were eating dinner neither Seth nor Sara said anything. But it didn't seem to bother Gage or Sydney because they were preoccupied with Angela who was getting more food all over herself than in her mouth. When they were through eating Gage noticed that Seth and Sara went right over to the sink and started doing the dishes. Just as he was about to say something Sydney asked him if he wanted to help her give Angela a bath.  
  
Gage replied with a smart remark saying "Well that depends, only if you are planning on giving Angela a bath in the shower, you know, and you need my help washing your hair or something like that"  
  
Sydney shot Gage a look and sternly said "Francis Gage you better be glad I have Angela in my arms or I would have already flew at you and knocked you unconscious for the night."  
  
"Aww, Sydney c'mon you know I was just joking with you" Gage laughed trying to get her forgiveness.  
  
"That's not funny, and if you ever say anything like that to me again, especially in front of the kids you will be sorry Francis Gage and that is your last warning." Sydney stated clearly even though Gage saw a slight smile form on her lips as she turned her back to him.  
  
All Gage could do was smile to himself and think if this is what it might be like to be married to Sydney and have three kids running around. But his thoughts were once again broken by Sydney yelling at him from the next room, "Gage you better wipe that smirk off your face and come help me give Angela a bath."  
  
How does she always know what I am doing even when I am not in the same room with her, Gage thought to himself as he made his way to the bathroom to help Sydney with Angela.  
  
While he and Syd were cleaning up Angela he asked her if the kids did the dishes every night.  
  
"No we take turns. They do it every other night," replied Sydney  
  
"Oh, well I couldn't help but notice they didn't say much at dinner" Gage pointed out  
  
"Yeah but like I said at the office today Gage it just takes them awhile to warm up to new people" Syd answered  
  
After they got Angela dressed in her nightgown they decided to ask the kids if the wanted to watch a movie, to which of course they said yes. Both kids agreed on the movie Ice Age. At about 9 o'clock Gage noticed that both Seth and Sara were asleep on the floor and Angela was fast asleep between him and Sydney. At just about that time Alex and Walker came by to get Angela. After they left Sydney decided to put the kids to bed.  
  
"You can go home now if you want. I can get the kids to bed," Sydney told Gage  
  
"No that's all right I'll help you if you don't mind," Gage answered  
  
"Okay" Syd replied. She really did want him to stay and help her. She liked having him there with her, but she was just afraid he might find out the truth, and she did not want him to get involved unless absolutely necessary.  
  
Gage carried Seth into Syd's room while Sydney carried Sara and they put them in her bed. Then they went back into the living room and sat on the couch.  
  
"You want to watch that movie again?" Gage asked  
  
"Gage we just watched it for the past hour and a half." Sydney replied  
  
"I know but I love that movie. With the animals, and that squirrel that can never get its nut," he laughed.  
  
Syd just rolled her eyes and said "Gage you are as bad as those kids in there, you are just a big child yourself trapped in a mans body."  
  
"I know but I also know you love that about me" he answered back  
  
"Whatever" Sydney laughed  
  
"There it is" Gage said  
  
"What" asked Sydney  
  
"Your smile. I got to see it twice tonight, and I haven't seen that smile for like the past week," he said  
  
"Gage please don't go there again," Sydney begged  
  
"Why? Syd I think there is more to that story you told than you are letting on, and I don't know why. I don't know if you are in some kind of trouble and you don't want anyone to know about it, or if the story about your sister is true. But if it is I don't understand why you don't want our help finding her. I'm your partner Syd. You should trust me because I want to help you, I don't care what it is that you are trying to hide from me. I won't think any less of you. You are my best friend and the way I feel about you will never change, no matter what happened in your past, whether it is really about you or if it is about your sister. I just don't want anything to happen to you. I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Gage replied more sternly.  
  
"I know that Gage, but..."  
  
"But nothing Sydney, I want to help you. But I can't do that unless you tell me what is really going on," he answered this time his voice begging her to let him in.  
  
"I don't want you to get hurt" Sydney replied softly.  
  
"I'm not going to get hurt. But if you are involved in something dangerous I want to know because I want to help. Please." Gage begged again.  
  
"If I tell you what's going on you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially Walker," she said with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Okay, I promise" Gage said, taking his hand and wiping away one of the tears that had fallen down Sydneys cheek.  
  
Should I tell him the truth or should I just make up another story to tell him, Sydney thought to herself. After thinking about it for a minute she made up her mind. Well here goes nothing, she thought to herself. 


	6. ch 6

**Unexpected Surprises**-ch. 6

Before Sydney even had a chance to begin the story one of the kids cried out from her bedroom. She and Gage ran into her room to find Seth in the middle of a nightmare and Sara trying to wake him up. Syd immediately went over to Seth and shook him awake. As soon as his eyes popped open he threw his arms around Sydney and cried

"Don't leave me. Please. I don't want you to leave me again."

"Shh, its okay sweetie I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here." Sydney said trying to calm the boy.

"Um, Syd I'll just be in the other room when you get done." Gage told her as he left the bedroom. Sydney just nodded back to him with Seth still in her arms and Sara just lying there.

While Sydney was rocking Seth back and forth trying to calm him down Sara snuck out of bed and headed to the living room. Gage was sitting on the couch and saw her.

"Hey Sara, what are you doing up?" he asked with a fatherly tone in his voice.

Sara just looked at him and went to the kitchen. Gage sat on the couch watching her as she opened the refrigerator and got out some milk. He kept watching as she stood on her tiptoes trying to reach a bowl and cereal. He got up and went to the kitchen and asked her if she wanted some cereal. Once again he just got stared at by the bright blue eyes of the eight year old.

"Here I'll get you a bowl," Gage offered.

Sara took the bowl from him and got out a spoon. Then she looked up at the top of the refrigerator where three kinds of cereal were. Gage saw her look up there and reached for the Lucky Charms thinking that was probably what she would want. Sara took the cereal and poured some in the bowl along with some milk and then started eating. Gage put away the milk and cereal and sat down at the table with her.

"So you know Sara you are a beautiful girl. I really wish you would talk to me. I bet you have a beautiful voice," Gage tried to coax the little girl to say something.

Gage then got an idea and went over to the refrigerator and found a lime and two oranges. He went back over to the table and stood across from Sara.

"You want to see a trick Sara," he asked hoping for an answer. But she just looked at him and kept eating.

Gage started juggling the lemon and oranges and noticed that Sara had stopped eating and was eagerly watching him. At about that time he missed timed the orange and wasn't going to be able to catch it so he swung to knock it out of the way so he didn't drop the rest but he ended up knocking it right into Sara's cereal bowl causing milk to splash all over her, the table, and the floor. Just when Gage thought she was going to cry she got a huge smile on her face and she started giggling, which caused Gage to get a huge grin on his face and he started laughing,

"I'm sorry Sara. I didn't mean to get you wet," Gage added.

But Sara just kept laughing. Gage looked at her and said,

"Well I'm glad to see you can laugh," which made her stop smiling.

So he kept juggling with the orange and lime he had left and threw the orange up and purposely didn't catch it so it hit him on the head. He fell to the ground pretending to be unconscious. Sara got down from her chair and ran over to him. She knelt beside him looking at him. Then she shook his arm a little. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Gotcha," he said to her while he grabbed her and started tickling her making her laugh as loud as she could.

All the noise made Sydney run into the room and all she saw at first was milk and cereal everywhere. Then on the floor she spotted Gage tickling Sara who was covered with milk and cereal. But Sydney couldn't help but smile at the scene before her. She didn't want to break it up but she had just gotten Seth back to sleep.

"Alright you two kids, ya'll are going to need to calm down because I just got Seth back to sleep," Sydney said to Gage and Sara.

Gage stopped tickling Sara and got up to help clean up the mess they had made, rather the mess he had made.

Sydney looked at Sara and said, "C'mon Sara we can get you cleaned up while Gage cleans the mess up."

But Sara ran over to Gage and took his hand to lead him to the bedroom. Gage just looked at Sydney and shrugged. So Sydney looked at Sara again and said, "Okay Gage you get her cleaned up and I will clean up the mess."

Gage then grabbed Sara and slung her over his shoulder and ran across the living room causing Sara to laugh. Then after he got her cleaned up he put her to bed and kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight Sara. I had fun tonight." Gage whispered to her.

When he got back to the living room he saw Sydney on the couch, so he plopped down next to her.

"What's wrong," he asked

"Nothing" Syd answered quietly without looking him in the eye.

"Syd c'mon did I do something," Gage asked

"Not exactly. Its just Sara hasn't laughed like that for me in so long," she answered

"Well she's only been here for a couple weeks right," Gage asked

"Well sort of'" answered Sydney "It's just you come here and make some kind of connection with her in one day. I mean you got her to laugh and she let you touch her," Sydney replied with tears in her eyes. "She won't even let me hold her hand. The only time I can touch her is if I am putting her to bed and she is asleep."

"Sydney I'm sorry. I was just playing with her and I thought maybe I could get her to talk," Gage answered sadly.

"I know Gage, I'm not mad at you. I'm just sad she won't laugh for me. The last time I heard her laugh she had barely turned four." Sydney said as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Sydney I'm so sorry." Gage said as he put his arms around Sydney to hold her close. He hated that she was crying. He hated to see her sad. She rapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. She felt so safe in his arms. 'I wish I could stay here forever,' she thought to herself.

"Gage," Sydney whispered

"Yeah," he answered

"I want to tell you the truth. I don't want to lie to you anymore." Sydney said as she looked up into Gage's blue eyes.

"Okay," he answered her while still keeping his eyes locked on Sydney's deep brown ones and pulling her closer to him not wanting to let her go.

'This time I will tell him the truth. I can't lie to him anymore.' Sydney thought to herself.


	7. ch 7

**Unexpected Surprises**-ch. 7

Gage still sat on the couch holding Syd. He thought he was prepared for what she was about to tell him, but he had no idea just how complicated the story was going to get.

"Gage it's already 11 o'clock if you want me to just wait and tell you later," Sydney started.

"No I'm fine Syd. I want to know the truth tonight." Gage answered

"Okay. Well when I was going through my training at the Academy I met this guy who was also in training. We were partnered together for drill and things. Anyway we dated for about eight months and then we got married right after we graduated from the Academy. I thought he was so sweet and sincere, but I found out soon after that he wasn't."

"Syd how could you marry someone after only eight months" Gage asked

"I don't know Gage, but I know now how stupid I was. I figured he was going to be a cop and he would always be true to that, and we would have a bond because we were both cops. But I was wrong."

"When I was 22 I found out that I was pregnant but when I told Jason he got upset. He said he didn't have time to take care of a kid. He made me quit my job so I could take care of Seth when he was born. I was so mad at him Gage, I mean being a cop was my life, but he said we couldn't afford a babysitter so he wanted me to take care of Seth. He also told me that if I ever got pregnant again I would be sorry."

"How could he say something like that?" Gage asked

"Gage please let me finish the story before you start asking questions," replied Sydney

"But this means that Seth really is yours," Gage stated

"Yes Gage him and Sara are my kids okay. Are you happy now" Sydney cried

"Syd I'm not upset. I just had a hunch ever since I saw them with you. I mean they look just like you." Gage smiled

"Yeah I guess they do," said Sydney "Do you want me to finish my story or not"

"Yeah, sorry I won't ask anymore questions"

"Yeah right. Anyway right after Seth was born I noticed Jason would come home drunk almost every night. I tried to pretend I was asleep, but by the time Seth had turned one it had gotten a lot worse. He would come home and wake me up to yell at me, so I talked to the Captain at the station house he was working at. They made him join AA so that he wouldn't lose his job. But I think that is when he really lost it. He blamed me for everything. He stayed sober from what I could tell but he started coming home later and later. Sometime he wouldn't come home at all. At first I just tried to ignore it, but whenever I was around him he seemed depressed and he would never look or even hold Seth. So I decided to talk to his Captain again. He told me that he had been reprimanded for not turning in drugs from a drug bust and that since then his work as a cop had declined. He told me that he wasn't sure what Jason and his partner Michael were into. He said they would check out in the morning and disappear for the day, never check in and would rarely answer all the calls they would get, then at the end of their shift they would check out and go home. He said most of the other cops were afraid of them. Then he told me he was planning on scheduling a meeting with Jason and Michael to ask them some questions and if they failed the questions there would be an investigation started on both of them."

Sydney stopped to catch her breath and looked at Gage. He took her hand and said, "How about I make some coffee. I have a feeling its going to be a long night."

"That would probably be a good idea," Sydney responded

When Gage brought Sydney her coffee he noticed she was staring off in space.

"Syd you okay," he asked

"Yeah just thinking," she answered

"Well don't hurt yourself," he joked

Sydney just gave him the "Sydney glare" which immediately told him not to mess with her right now.

"Sorry, why don't you continue your story," he said

"So anyway that next week he had the meeting and of course he wouldn't answer the questions, so he got investigated. They had to come by our apartment and look around and ask me questions. Even though Jason was suspended from his job he still left every morning and didn't come until late at night and yell at me. Telling me it was my fault he was being investigated and blaming me for everything that had happened. Then the next week I found out I was pregnant with Sara. I was happy but I didn't know how Jason would feel about it. I mean he didn't even act like he cared about Seth. But I decided to tell him one night when he came home because he seemed to be in a good mood, but instead of being happy he completely lost it. He just yelled at me and said he told me when I was pregnant with Seth that if I ever got pregnant again that I would be sorry."

Sydney paused there and turned away from Gage. He turned her face to look at him and her eyes were full of tears. He wiped away a few stray tears and said

"What happened"

She didn't answer, she just tried to look away but Gage wouldn't let her.

"Did he hurt you," he asked

"Sydney answer me, please" he tried again with a very sad yet scared look on his face like he already knew the answer, he just wanted it not to be true.

"Syd," he begged

"Yes, he hit me. Are you happy now Gage. He beat me up and when he was done he just left me there. And you want to know the best part. He did it in front of his two year old son." Sydney cried pulling away from Gage.

But Gage just grabbed hold of her and held her close and as tight as he could swearing to himself that if he ever saw this guy he would kill him. He stroked Sydney's hair and told her it was all okay now and that he would never let anyone hurt her again.

"I know how stupid I was Gage. But I'm a big girl now and I can take care of myself. It was that next week I started taking self defense classes which progressed to karate." Sydney told him.

"Syd I never said you couldn't take care of yourself. I just want to protect you."

"I know Gage but I can handle myself. I have been doing fine by myself for the past six years," claimed Sydney.

"Oh really, then why didn't you tell me this story when we started working together. I told you all about my family and my past. Did you not trust me or what," asked Gage

"Gage I didn't want you to think less of me. It's not a past I'm proud of, okay. I'm ashamed of it. And we had become good friends and you knew I could take care of myself, you never thought I couldn't handle something. I guess I thought if you knew the truth you wouldn't think I was as strong as you anymore. That's one reason I don't talk about my past to any of ya'll. Besides I thought you might be ashamed of me." Sydney said sadly as she stared at the floor, not making eye contact with Gage.

Gage lifted her chin so their eyes could meet, then he said sternly, "I could never be ashamed of you Sydney Cooke. Not now, not ever. You are the best partner a person could ask for. And you are my best friend and that will never change, no matter what, okay."

Sydney just nodded her head.

"So what happened after you had Sara?"

"Well I stayed with Jason while I was pregnant with Sara because I didn't have any money. But one night he was yelling at Seth for dropping his glass of milk and he slapped Seth across the face. I knew that was the last straw. I told him if he ever came near Seth again I would kill him. He got really angry and threw me into the wall. I tried to fight back but I was seven months pregnant. So Seth tried to jump on him and fight him but he just got thrown to the ground. When he was done hitting me he left and Seth called 911. The doctors said if my baby survived she would probably have some kind of disability because of the beating. They also said that if Seth hadn't called 911 right away I might have lost the baby and then I might have some other complications that might have cost me my life. I had Sara the next month and she was perfect. Though the doctors had a hard time believing it. And Seth, he knew he saved his little sisters life and I told him that she would always be grateful to him for the rest of her life. He told me he was going to be the best big brother in the world. And let me tell you he has. He hasn't let Sara out of his sight since she was born. And its weird, its like they have a connection or a type of bond since she was born. It's like she knew he saved her life. She always wanted to do everything Seth did and he let her. He loved for her to follow him around. He was so proud of her and proud to be her big brother. Whenever she needed anything she always wanted Seth to help her with it. And that is one thing that hasn't changed. She still only wants Seth to help her with things." Sydney smiled as she thought back to the times when Sara was little and used to only want Seth to help her brush her teeth or help her put on her shoes and socks. Gage saw her smile and figured she was thinking about the kids when they were little and it caused him to get a small smile on his face as well. Thinking about the way things probably were when they were little and picturing a little Sara not wanting anyone to help her with anything except Seth. Gage figured the little girl probably got her stubbornness from Sydney.

"But anyways back to Jason. I had told the cops about him but since he was a fellow officer they let him off the hook. He came and apologized to me for everything. He even held Sara and apologized to Seth. He told me he had big plans for our family and that he had come across some money that could buy us a house in a nice neighborhood. Then he told me he wanted me to go back to work as a cop. And once again I was stupid enough to believe he was truly sorry and had changed."

"Sydney I can't..." Gage started to say but was interrupted by a look he was getting from Sydney saying to shut up.

"So anyway we got a two bedroom house and I went back to work and kept taking karate lessons. One day Jason came home in a brand new truck and when I asked him where he got it he told me not to worry about it because it was taken care of. Then about two months after that I found his checkbook and found that he had over $100,000 in his account. I mean who has that much in a checking account. That's when I knew that something was up. So one day I had off of work and so I followed him all day and I found that he was smuggling drugs across the border. So I did another stupid thing and confronted him about it. He told me that if I ever told anyone he would kill Seth and Sara. And I told him that if he ever tired anything like that I would kill him first. He got really angry when I told him that and he went to hit me and I fought back and won the fight. The only thing was he had friends waiting outside and when they heard the commotion they came running in and there were three of them and only one of me and I have only bee in my karate classes for a year. So I was defeated, or beat up if that helps you understand better. So that night while Jason was gone I took the kids and left. Then the next day I told my boss about the drugs and they arrested Jason about two months later and the trial lasted another six months. At his sentencing he swore he was going to get revenge on me."

"But Syd he is still in jail right?" Gage asked.

"He got out four years ago," replied Sydney "His revenge was taking my kids while I was at work. It was the day after Sara's fourth birthday."

"Did you try to find them," he asked

"Of course I did Gage, their my babies, but there was no trace of them anywhere, all that was left was a note from Jason. So I moved here to Dallas. Then the next year I was partnered with you for that undercover job. Then after that we became Texas Rangers for Company B, but I never stopped looking. Then two weeks ago they were on my doorstep, all dirty. But as soon as I saw Seth I knew and so did he. Him and Sara had been in Mexico for the last year, but they moved to Houston with Jason, and Seth found me on the Internet and him and Sara ran away and got here to me."

"But how did they get all the way here," asked Gage

"They flew. Told the stewardess they were going to see their mom." Sydney smiled.

"And so why won't Sara talk to you"

"I don't know. Seth told me she was just confused and didn't trust me yet," she answered "He said she doesn't really remember me."

"But Syd she was four, right" stated Gage

"Yeah but Gage she had just turned four and she has been gone for four years. There's no telling what kind of lies Jason put into her head. I mean she was so little and vulnerable, she would have believed anything, especially when she found out that Jason was her dad," replied Sydney.

"But then why does Seth talk to you and trust you?"

"He was seven when it happened. He already knew the truth. And I am sure whatever happened to them happened mostly to Seth. And I think he knows a lot more than he is telling me. I think he wants to protect me," she answered

"Isn't that a good thing that he wants to protect his mom?"

"I don't know Gage. I mean earlier when he had that nightmare he was so scared. He never wanted me to leave him. I don't know if he is afraid his dad is going to take him away again or if he is afraid something might happen to me when he isn't with me. I mean he is an eleven year old little boy, he should be out getting into trouble and having fun, not always worrying about his mother."

"Well I'll make sure he knows your in good hands while you are at work," Gage winked at her and smiled. Syd looked back at him and smiled

"Gage I can take care of myself"

"I know that, I just want to help"

"I know you do and I am glad that I can trust you and that I have you to confide in"

"Me too Syd, I just wish you would have confided in me earlier"

"I know Gage and I can't take that back and I'm sorry."

"It's okay Shorty, I guess I will still keep you as my partner," Gage joked elbowing Syd in the side.

"Ha Ha" Syd said mouthing off to Gage.

It was now nearly two o'clock in the morning and Gage and Sydney had to be at work at 8 o'clock so Syd told Gage he could stay the night at her place but he would have to sleep on the floor because she had been sleeping on the couch since the kids had taken over her room. But of course he agreed because now more than ever he wanted to be with Syd all the time just to make sure she was okay. Neither one of them were very tired yet so they decided to watch some TV until they got tired. They ended up falling asleep on the couch together 15 minutes later.

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A/N: Stay tuned for more. It will probably be about a week before I get the next chapter up. Hope you enjoy the rest of it.


	8. ch 8

Unexpected Surprises- ch.8

Syd woke up to the sun shining through her living room window and it took her a minute to remember that she had told Gage everything the night before. When she looked up she realized she was lying next to Gage on the couch. He was laying on his back sound asleep with his arm around her and she was lying next to him with the top part of her body on top of his and her head on his chest. She smiled at the sight of him lying there with her and how cute he looked with his mouth half open slightly snoring. Syd sat up a little to lean over Gage and see what time it was and the clock said 8:20am.

"O my gosh, we're late" Sydney said as she started shaking Gage

"Gage wake up. Gage. Gage we are late," Sydney yelled at him.

This caused Gage to pop p suddenly just as Syd leaned back down to shake him again. And as he popped up and she leaned down they bumped heads really hard.

"Ow, crap Gage that hurt."

"That hurt you, how do you think I feel then. Geeze Sydney what's wrong anyway?"

"We're late Gage it's almost 8:30"

"Oh man, are you serious"

"No Gage I'm joking because"

"Okay Syd I get it. Okay lets go then."

"I will have to drop the kids off at the Hope Center first."

"But it's a Thursday Syd shouldn't they be in school"

"I haven't gotten them in yet. I haven't had time."

"Well you know you should right"

"Yes Gage I know. Are you going to wear that to work, cause you know that's what you wore yesterday."

"Yes Sydney I know. But what do you want me to do. My apartment isn't anywhere near here. And by the way nice way to change the subject."

"We can stop somewhere and you can get a new shirt."

"Okay well lets go"

"Gage, the kids"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot"

"What do you mean almost"

"Oh that's funny"

"Thanks, I learned the corny jokes from you"

"Ha Ha" Gage laughed sarcastically while making a childish face at Sydney.

Sydney and Gage went into the bedroom to get the kids up only to find both of them already awake.

"Hey guys, ya'll are already up," Sydney more so stated than asked.

"Well there was a lot of noise coming from the den," Seth answered

"Oh sorry about that. Your mom and I are late for work." Gage replied

Seth looked at Syd and she just said, "It's alright honey he knows the truth. But he's the only one, so just do what we said around everyone else, okay sweetie."

"Okay" Seth answered nodding his head.

"Okay guys ya'll get dressed and be snappy about it because you mom and I really need to go"

The kids nodded their heads and went to get ready, while Syd did the same. While they were getting ready Gage decided to make the kids some cinnamon toast and chocolate milk to take with them. Just as he finished making the chocolate milk Sydney and the kids came out of the bedroom.

"Alright Gage lets roll"

"Okay. Here guys I made ya'll some cinnamon toast and chocolate milk."

Seth took his without looking at Gage and grabbed Sydney's hand to get her to hurry up and out the door. But when he handed the toast and milk to Sara she smiled at him.

"Well don't you look pretty today," Gage told her and Sara just giggled. Then she grabbed his hand to hurry him out the door.

When they got to the Hope Center Seth and Sara got out and Sydney and Gage walked them up to introduce them to everyone. When they were finished Sydney turned to Seth and Sara to say goodbye but Seth looked at Sydney and said "I don't like goodbyes"

"Seth I'm coming back for you at 6 o'clock tonight."

"Promise"

"I'm never going to leave you again okay. I'll always come back for you. I promise."

"Okay then how bout we just say see ya later"

"Alright. See ya later"

"Okay later"

Then Gage turned to say bye, but Seth just turned away and took Sara with him.

"You know Syd, I don't think Seth likes me."

"Good, that makes up for Sara seeming like she doesn't like me."

"C'mon Syd that's not fair."

"Gage it will just take him awhile. You have to remember the men that were in his life, like his dad, didn't treat him well. He has to learn to trust you, and that might take some time. But trust me Gage he will learn to trust you." Syd told him and touched his arm for comfort.

"How do you know?"

"I did didn't I," she answered smiling up at him.

"Yeah okay. Well we better go, we are already an hour late."

Sydney nodded and they ran to the car to race to work . When they got in the car Syd turned to Gage and said.

"Gage about last night"

"Syd you don't have to worry. Your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks Gage, and I promise I'll tell the others when I'm ready."

"Okay we can talk about that later but right now we need to go."

With that said Sydney started the car and raced to the courthouse.


End file.
